[J-Music] the HIATUS (band introduction)

Artist: the HIATUS
Formed in 2009
Official website: thehiatus.com

I found the HIATUS because of Miyavi's album "Samurai Sessions Vol. 1" there he sings a song called "Silent Anger" together with Takeshi Hosomi. I really like the voice of Takeshi Hosomi and looked him up - and there was the HIATUS.

This band was formed in spring 2009 by the singer of the band Ellegarden, Takeshi Hosomi, as his solo-project after his band announced their indefinite hiatus in 2008. All the other members came from well-known bands and are skilled in music. The members' previous popularity might be one reason for the number 1 position at Oricon charts of their first album "Trash We'd Love" released in May 2009. Afterwards they took part at many festivals. The released two other albums ("Anomaly" in June 2010 and "A World of Pandemonium" in November 2011).

I listened to their latest album "A World of Pandemonium" and I liked it very much. Especially the cooperation songs with Jamie Blake are pretty nice, but I also like the sound of the other songs - I'm in love with Takeshi Hosomi's voice. You probably would also like this band (^-^)

Members:
Takeshi Hosomi – vocals, guitar  --- Ellegarden
Masasucks – guitar  --- Fullscratch
Koji Ueno – bass   --- Radio Caroline, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant
Takashi Kashikura – drums   --- Toe
Hirohisa Horie – keyboard  --- Neil & Iraiza

Live support members:
Masakazu Ichise – drums --- Asparagus
Ichiyou Izawa  – keyboard --- Tokyo Jihen

 

[J-Dorama] Sweet Room

Name: Sweet Room | スウィートルーム

Released: August - October 2009

Main actors: Mukai Osamu, Kaname Jun, Narimiya Hiroki, Toyohara Kosuke, Iriyama Noriko, Shiomi Yukari and more

Other: mobile phone drama

"Sweet Room" is a keitai drama - movie to watch on your mobile phone - with 4 episodes. Every episode tells a love story which takes place in the suite room of a hotel. They all are running around 15 to 20 minutes.

Last Love
The first episode tells the story of an unsuccesful photographer (Narimiya Hiroki) and an unsuccesful model (Shiomi Yukari). They meet at a photoshooting for a supermarket advertisement and the he directly fall in love with her. Some time later she invites him to the suite room to take beautiful photos of her and later tells him her secret. This episode is very sensual, but has a bittersweet ending.

Birthday

The second episode is about a young couple. As birthday present for his girlfriend Riko (Hasegawa Emi) he (Mukai Osamu) wants to fulfill one of her biggest wishes - a night in a big suite. He goes to the room earlier, prepares everything and welcomes her in a nice suit. They eat birthday cake together and spend a lovely time. This episode is full of deep and true love and lets your heart melt away.

Triangle

The next episode is about two guys called Takashi (Kaname Jun) and Mamoru (Kubota Yuusuke) and their female friend Risa (Watanabe Naoko). One day Mamoru asks Takashi what he thinks about Risa and tells him he can have her because he will die. Mamoru really died to days later and the funeral was on a rainy day. A recorded mobile phone message from the dead friend orders both to the hotel suite.

Room Service

A woman, Kazuhi-san (Iriyama Noriko), is waiting at the suite to meet her boyfriend she is in a long distance relationship with. But he stands her up with a call. For sure she is pretty sad and tries to forget it with spending time together with the man of the room service, Takahara-san (Toyohara Kosuke), who takes care of her.

Except of the last episode all have a sex scene - some really passionate and with lots of deep kissing. For sure you can't see anything, but you can feel the deep emotions.

My two favorites are "Birthday" and "Last Love" which I really can recommend. "Room Service" is also nice, but maybe a little bit boring. I didn't like "Triangle" very much, because this episode is a little bit confusing.

All in all, I think it's worth watching (^-^)v

[J-Music] Ayumi Hamasaki - Party Queen (album)

Artist: Ayumi Hamasaki
Album title: Party Queen
Release date: 21 March 2012

When I heard the title of Ayumi Hamasaki's new album and saw the covers for "Party Queen" I was totally worried that I won't like the album. I'm not a big fan of party music and going to disco and this is what I expect when I hear this title.

The first songs made my worries real. They are up-beat songs which are really good for dancing. And I'm not really interested in such music. I did my sport workout while first listening, so it was kind of fitting music for this.
Then the fifth song started and I was really surprised. In my eyes the whole style of the album changed into nice pop songs and ballad-like music. I really like this fact, even if now the title "Party Queen" isn't reflected anymore.

My personal highlight of the album is the song "Eyes, Smoke, Magic". When I first listened to it I saw a Broadway-stage in front of my eyes, with women dancing with petticoat-dresses and men in smoking. This song really gave me this kind of mood. After I now know the translation of the lyric it makes me think, because this cheerful song tells a sad story.

Another great song, in my opinion, is "How Beautiful You Are", which is the last song of the album. I'm especially impressed by the PV which shows people who are not looking like the average. I think it wants to tell that it doesn't matter how you look, you are always beautiful - and you are allowed to love who you want.


By now I really fall in love with Ayu's new album. I also started to like the first songs after I have listened to them more often. It's a really great album and a must-have for every fan!

(And now I'm a little bit sad that I'm not able to attend one of her concerts when I go to Japan in July this year...)


Tracklist:
01. Party queen
02. NaNaNa
03. Shake It♥
04. taskebab
05. call
06. Letter
07. reminds me
08. Return Road
09. Tell me why
10. a cup of tea
11. the next LOVE
12. Eyes, Smoke, Magic
13. Serenade in A minor
14. how beautiful you are


   
As always there are 3 different versions of this album. There is a "CD only" version with just the album. The "CD + DVD" version includes a DVD with PVs and making-of of 4 songs (Shake It♥", "NaNaNa", "Return Road" and "how beautiful you are"), while the other version with 2 DVDs includes another DVD with the COUNTDOWN LIVE 2011-2012 A ~HOTEL Love songs.

PV "How Beautiful You Are"

[J-Music] Dirty Old Men (band introduction)

Artist: Dirty Old Men
Formed in 2003

Official website: DirtyOldMen.jp

I discovered Dirty Old Men by accident. When I tried to use Last.fm on my iPhone for the first time I listened to AJISAI radio station and the first song played was "rain show" by Dirty Old Men which I started to love directly. So I started to look for more music of this band and in the end they became one of my favorite new discoveries.

The band was formed in summer 2003 by Nobuyuki Takatsudo (Vocal&Guitar), Masamitsu Yamada (Bass) and Shinichi Notaki (Drums)  in their high school days. Actually it was planed to break up after their graduation, but they received many great responses and won in a band competition and so they decided to continue. In 2006 Takumi Yamashita joined and they started to be a 4-men-band.

By now they have released two albums ("bud" in 2008 and "guidance" in 2011) and a certain number of mini albums. Their music has a unique style with very heartful and pure songs. Each song is telling a story or kidnaps you into a wonderful dream.  

  

I hope I will be able to hear a lot more music of this great band - and wish them to find more and more fans!! (^0^)~ ♥

Members: 

Takatsudo Nobuyuki - Vocals, Guitar

Yamashita Takumi - Guitar, Chorus

Masamitsu Yamada - Bass

Notaki Shinichi - Drums, Chorus

[J-Music] Yellow Fried Chickenz - All My Love / Your Are The Reason (single)

Artist: Yellow Fried Chickenz
Single title: All My Love / Your Are The Reason
Release date: 28 December 2011

The single "All my love / You are the reason" has been released on 28 December 2011 by Yellow Fried Chickenz, shortly YFC. YFC is a project of the famous Japanese musician Gackt which he built in 2010 with some changing members. At the current YFC you find Gackt and Jon (fade) as vocals, on guitar there are Chachmaru, You and Takumi, on bass we have U:zo and on drums Luna Sea's drummer Shinya.

Both songs of this single has already been performed on YFC's European tour in summer 2011.

"All my love" is a touching ballad dedicated to the victims of the great Tohoku earthquake and tsunami which hit Japan on 11 March 2011. At live concerts the charity project "Show Your Heart" which was founded by Gackt was promoted by singing the following line with the crowd in repeat:

"Close your eyes, feel your soul. All for love, show your heart!"

Unfortunately these lines are not included in the studio version. Actually I personally prefer the live version, maybe it's just because of the emotions I remember when I've been to the concerts.

In difference to the first song "You are the reason" is a more uptempo one, but also really great. Especially at this song the voices of both vocals mesh with each other very well, in my eyes.

There is a special versions of every song. Each have a "minus g", "minus j" and "minus g+j" version. So if you like karaoke you can sing either with Gackt or with Jon or totally alone. Instead of this I would have preferred versions sang all alone by Gackt or Jon and not with one singing only his own part and the other lines are missing...

All in all it's a really nice single and I'm glad that my dear friend Haruna-chan gave it to me ♥

 
Tracklist:
01. ALL MY LOVE .jp

02. YOU ARE THE REASON .eu

03. ALL MY LOVE .jp minus G

04. ALL MY LOVE .jp minus J

05. ALL MY LOVE .jp minus G & J

06. YOU ARE THE REASON .eu minus G

07. YOU ARE THE REASON .eu minus J

08. YOU ARE THE REASON .eu minus G & J



Official website: Yellow Fried Chickenz
___________________________________ 

[music] Yoko-chan's Japanese Christmas songs playlist

Hello everyone!!
Because it will be Christmas tomorrow, today I want to share my Christmas playlist with you!
For sure I know that not all the songs have Christmas as basic topic, but anyway they arrange a Christmas or winter like feeling. I hope you will have a wonderful Christmas time with this songs!

Merry Christmas everyone!! メリークリスマス！ (^0^)~ ♥

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Yoko-chan's Japanese Christmas songs playlist
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(arranged alphabetically)

Ayumi Hamasaki - Carols
Ayumi Hamasaki - Itsuka no Merry Christmas -Live Version-
Ayumi Hamasaki - Powder Snow
B'z - Itsuka no Merry Christmas
Dirty Old Men - Merry
Dream - Everlasting Snow
EXILE - Last Christmas
Flumpool - Snowy Nights Serenade
Gackt - 12gatsu no Love Song
Gackt - December Love Song
Gackt & Ayumi Hamasaki - Itsuka no Merry Christmas -Live Version-
Gackt & Ayumi Hamasaki - Silent Night -Live Version-
Gackt & Namie Amuro - Itsuka no Merry Christmas -Live Version-
Glay - Winter Again
Hikaru Utada - Can't wait 'til Christmas
Koh Otani - Silent Night
L'Arc~en~Ciel - Hurry X'Mas
Lisa Ono - The Christmas Song
Luna Sea -  Happy Christmas (War is over) -Live Version-
Luna Sea - White Christmas / In my dreams -Live Version-
Mika Nakashima - Amazing Grace
Mika Nakashima - Yuki no Hana
Namie Amuro - White Light
Tackey & Tsubasa - Heartful Voice
Tenchi Muyo - Jingle Bells
Yoko Watanabe - Last Christmas

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HANABI SEKAI moved to BlogSpot

Hello everyone! \(^0^)/
My blog "HANABI SEKAI" now moved to BlogSpot. I think it's easier to design and leave comments here than on LiveJournal. I hope you guys will like the new design and will look here from time to time.

First thing I've got to do now: copy my reviews from LJ to my new place here (^-^)v


Hope you spent a nice 4th Sunday in Advent!
Yoko-chan ♥

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